1. VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION Model Guidance for Positive and Preventive Code of Student Conduct Policy and Alternatives to Suspension

2. Background Information and Statutory Authority
The Virginia Board of Education is required by law (§ of the Code of Virginia) to establish guidelines and develop model policies for codes of student conduct to aid local school boards in the implementation of such policies.
The Code of Virginia § directed the Board of Education to “establish guidelines for alternatives to short-term and long-term suspension for consideration by local school boards.”

3. Background Information and Statutory Authority (continued)
In 2018, General Assembly amended § and prohibits, except for certain acts, students in preschool through grade three from being suspended for more than three school days or expelled from attendance at school.
§ and § of the Code of Virginia redefined long-term suspensions as “any disciplinary action whereby a student is not permitted to attend school for 11 to 45 school days.”

4. Development Process Children’s Cabinet Classrooms Not Courtrooms
Office of School Improvement Focus Groups
Virginia Student Support and Conduct Committee
Reframing Discipline Conference Focus Groups

5. Preventive and Positive Approaches to Discipline
Safe, Supportive School Climate
Focus on Equity
Professional Learning
Clear Behavioral Expectations
Leveled Administrative Responses
Learning Supports
Family and Community Partnerships

6. Approach to Discipline
Student Behavior Descriptors
Behavior Categories
Guide social emotional learning
Leveled Administrative Responses that include
Interventions
Supports
Consequences

7. Why Alternatives to Suspension? The Effects of Exclusion
Negative school environments of distrust and alienation
Higher risk of retention in grade
Higher rates of misbehavior
Lower academic achievement
Chronic Absenteeism
Higher dropout rates
Hanover Research: Alternatives to Hanover Research, District Administration Practice, pg 10.

8. Why Alternatives to Suspension? The Effects of Exclusion continued
Restricted access to school services that might improve behavior
Harm to healthy adult relationships
Unsupervised time and increased opportunity for delinquency for suspended students
Higher risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system
Hanover Research: Alternatives to Hanover Research, District Administration Practice, pg 10.

9. Alternatives to Suspension
Tiered Systems of Support
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
School Counseling Programs
Social Emotional Learning
Restorative Approaches
Student Assistance Programming
Family Engagement